How to Write an Effective Classified Ad
When most people think of “classified ads” they think of newspapers or the back section of a trade magazine. Classified ads can be found everywhere now from Craigslist to Ebay to Facebook Marketplace. You can think of them as a listing of your goods or services and a description, price, and possibly a picture. Anyone can write a classified ad, but writing an effective one that generates sales is what you want!
Here is how to write an effective classified advertisement…
Know Your Audience
There are three parts to knowing your audience.
- Words and phrases they use
- What is important to them
- Where do they spend their time
For example of words and phrases, if you were selling a used pair of sneakers you would probably want to specify if they were running sneakers, cross trainers, or casual sneakers. Knowing those details will help a buyer make a better informed decision.
What would be important to a sneaker buyer? Certainly size, but what about width, fit, insoles, and condition.
Lastly, where do they spend their time? Do you belong to a Facebook group for Tennis and perhaps want to leverage Facebook Marketplace to sell the sneakers. Did you customize the sneakers in which Etsy may be a good choice. Poshmark should be another good consideration. My point is that it matters where you decide to advertise.
This leads me to my next point…
Choosing the Right Publication or Medium to Advertise In
There are many choices when it comes to places to submit classified ads. Many of them are even FREE.
Here are a few…
- Online Classified Sites
- Print newspapers and magazines
- Online newspapers and magazines
- Online marketplaces
You must consider the audience. Do you have something specialized, if so a trade magazine may be best. Are you trying to reach an older audience, then a newspaper may be a good route. Do you have a lot of stuff you are trying to sell, an online marketplace like Ebay or Facebook may work best.
Writing a Meaningful Headline
Without a doubt, the headline is the most important part of the ad. It’s what your audience sees first and decides if they want to click or continue reading.
You need to craft the headline to your target audience. You don’t need to get real salesy. Just be clear about what your selling and maybe a detail about it. If you are selling a service it is good to state what kind of problem you solve.
If someone was selling a vintage car it wouldn’t resonate with people to say 1979 Corvette for Sale. Instead think details: “1979 Corvette, Original Condition, Needs Paint, Runs Perfect”.
Will someone be turned off that it “needs paint”? Sure, but they were not in the market for your vehicle anyway. When I hear “needs paint”, I think lower price.
A Well Written Descriptive Message
Once you’ve hooked them with the headline, now we need to craft your message to convert. This part of the advertisement is about informing the potential buyer and compelling them to take action.
The key to nailing the messaging is short (but informative), direct, and highly targeted to the reader.
When you sell your used stuff, buyers just aren’t going to buy things off a picture. If it’s clothes they need sizes and condition and if it’s a car they need year, make, model, condition, mileage, service record information.
It’s OK to say something is not in perfect condition. In fact, that is a good way to build trust by being honest.
Research and Steal Ad Copy…
I like to look at the messaging for my competitors. What are they doing that right vs what are they doing wrong. Take a look at other peoples messaging and use it for yourself. Just change the details to meet your item(s).
Keep It Short…
People have a short attention span. You need to get them to take a call to action, you can always provide more details if/when they ask questions.
A Strong Call to Action
Every classified ad should have a call to action. It can be any action you want. Call to actions on a classified ad could look like any of the following….
- Clicking a button
- Calling a phone number
- Booking an appointment
- Making a purchase
- Sending an email
- Starting a chat to ask more questions
- Sending a text
When you make your call to action, make it clear and simple. The reader should know exactly what to do. I can tell you I have seen plenty of classified ads with no call to action…if you don’t ask for an action you likely won’t get it.
An ineffective call to action might say “Email Me if You Have Questions”. A more effective call to action would say “Email Me Here”
My General Rule is One Call to Action
Asking people to do too much can be a turn off. Don’t ask for them to call your phone and follow you on Facebook.
Take High Quality Pictures
A picture is worth a 1000 words. Good clear pictures from multiple angles are critical to converting a buyer. You want to post high quality pics. If there is damage concerns, take a picture of it. If the tags are still on the item, take a picture and show it. Depending on what you are selling 3 to 5 pictures is appropriate.
Working Within Classified Ad Constraints
Many mediums will limit characters for the headline and the body messaging. In many cases you can use shorthand or common symbols to shorten the length. For example, why write “Medium”, when anyone would understand “M” if you were selling a shirt.
Effective Classified Ads – Conclusion
Writing a classified advertisement takes a little time and practice. If you make a weak effort, you will get weak results. Know your audience, choose the right publication, nail your headline, be short and specific with the message, and add one call to action! That is the key to writing a successful classified ad.
